Golfing alone

[southpaw72]

On 3/25/2023 at 9:41 PM, NewToGolf19 said:

Do any of you count your solo rounds towards your handicap? If your handicap is not used for tournament play but rather to gauge your progress (or lack thereof) or an occasional game among friends, is it ok to log solo rounds towards GHIN?

I’ll be honest…. I do. When I can get 9 in during the week it’s at a bad 9 hole muni that sees a handful of rounds a day from the retirees. Not a lot of twilight golf happening so not an option to not play as a single .  I don’t live in a golf hotspot and I care about my progress as I get back into playing seriously. I have no intentions of playing any tournaments at this time so no harm no foul.

 

When I can play with others I do. I’m not sure what the difference is at the end of the day when playing with your drinking buddies or randoms still learning the game who don’t care about or won’t keep you accountable for a score anyway. It’s a gentleman’s game at the end of the day. 

[golowgolf801]

Prefer playing with buddies or trying to play alone in effort to work on things. 

[PlatinumNike]

Love playing with friends for the competing aspect. 
 

On the range is where I wanna be alone. 

[westy1981]

Great to play with friends

 

Also - like the headspace playing alone gives me - case in point, wandered round 9 yesterday, course pretty much to myself, sunday bag, handful of clubs, didn't keep score and thoroughly enjoyed it. Pic from day in question 🙂 

[MattM97]

I like playing with my friends but sometimes I want to pull my hair out when trying to get a round going with all of them or some of them so I'm going to play more on my own. It's a bit of a struggle at times playing solo where I live but with traveling more for work and less busy courses I'll play more solo giving me something to do when traveling in my down time. 

[Mw1991]

I always play better when I join a group as a single vs playing with my buddies. My buds don't take it as serious and are almost always drinking 4+ beers so kinda hard to concentrate. 

[Naptime]

Reading putts is harder because nobody else is "away" so you get no reads.

[Phayd]

I’d rather pay $15 to walk 9 by myself after work and hit off grass than pay $12 for a big bucket at the range.

 

I use arccos to track my scores & shot distances and will upload solo rounds as long as I putted everything out.  
 

The only tournaments I play in are  work/charity scrambles and an annual guy’s trip and I use the handicap system to measure progress in my game more than as it’s designed for parity with other golfers 

 

 

[Mike_Honcho]

i like to play alone most of the time because it allows me to repeat shots.  i used to only try the bad shots over.  now, i try and repeat my good shots.  if i'm with a group, i can't really do that.

[eric61]

I pretty much always play as a single -- either out alone or with whoever I get paired with -- because none of my friends play golf. 

 

The only frustration I frequently bump into is people in carts who get paired with me, and get annoyed on the first tee, before anybody has hit a shot, that I walk/carry and don't want to hop into the open spot in one of their carts.

 

I have an annual membership at a public course. And listen, I'm not great by any means, but I do hit it past 90-95% of people I've been paired with. It takes me longer to get to my second shot than it takes somebody in a cart, but I'm usually hitting after them anyway. And I'll certainly be faster from my approach shot to the green, and on/around the green, than they are. 

 

It is a bit of a hike in some spots from the green to the next tee box at my course, and occasionally I'll get paired with somebody who insists on getting to the next tee box as quickly as possible, hitting first, and then sitting in his cart and stepping on the gas the second my driver makes contact with the ball. It's the same type of person that gets annoyed as soon as he gets to his ball because the group ahead hasn't cleared out yet -- even though they're behind yet another group and there's nowhere to go. 

[dufferaaron]

I like playing with friends, but really enjoy golf on my own. I can pay the type of game I feel like and don't necessarily have to worry about keeping a rapport going.

[Power Fader]

I prefer play with a group but if someone consistently annoys me on the course i'll bow out of that group. In thailand it's mandatory to take a caddie so I have no issues playing a round alone and it's especially nice when you're trying to work on a part of your game.

[braincramp52]

21 minutes ago, Power Fader said:

I prefer play with a group but if someone consistently annoys me on the course i'll bow out of that group. In thailand it's mandatory to take a caddie so I have no issues playing a round alone and it's especially nice when you're trying to work on a part of your game.

Mandatory to take a caddie?! Wow, that's crazy.

[Power Fader]

1 hour ago, braincramp52 said:

Mandatory to take a caddie?! Wow, that's crazy.

Yep, any handicap is okay I guess they just don't want you effing up the course or driving a buggy into the lake.

[WL_Eric]

I prefer to play with buddies and have something on the line just for the competitiveness.  We normally play for appetizers and beers no matter what the initial “bet” is.  I rarely play on my own and never a full round when doing so.

[Chungy]

Never really played alone before, but that's going to end this year as my work schedule allows me to wiggle in a 9 hole round every once in a while

[hunterdog]

I occasionally play alone. It’s more difficult because the most local courses have leagues on both nines in the evenings. However, early spring and fall are great to get by myself, hit different shots, different chips, and try different stuff. I might play two holes or nine holes. I find playing alone let’s me try shots that I wouldn’t try when I play in my weekend foursome.

[Greenie]

I like playing with my friends and I like playing solo too. Both have their benefits. 

 

When playing with my friends we travel within 1.5 hrs. from home. I love playing all the different courses we play. I wouldn't travel all over as a single. My problem in our group is one of the guys. The guy I also play a lot with as a twosome. This guy has very little etiquette. Talking in your back swing, standing right behind you while you swing, walking on your line, standing right behind you when you are putting and so many more things that seem to get under my skin. When he drives the cart he is oblivious to the fact I have a ball in play too. No one else I play with acts like he does.  I have talked to him about these things and his reply is I need to grow up. So right or wrong nothing changes. So I have been trying to distance myself from this guy.

 

I have been playing more as a single recently and I have realized I play so much better being alone.  Not only do I play better I have been developing a better regular routine that is paying off. Most of my better scores this year are when I play alone. My scores have been dropping in our group too since I have been playing alone and I have been able to hit more consistent shots when playing alone without the distractions. I find playing alone very peaceful, enjoyable and good practice. 

 

 

[Esox]

I used to love playing alone. Now days, not so much. I dont have the feeling for where I struck the ball on the club face with modern huge drivers, therefore there is no instinctive looking up in the proper place to find the ball with my old eyes that have problems following the flight anymore as it is. Tired of losing brand new TP5 X's, I started using less expensive balls when playing alone. That makes my score suffer because I may be old,but I am still a spin player, and cheap balls are cheap for a reason.

If I cant find someone to golf with, I get on the boat and go fishing..........

[Haroputt]

When I started always played with a buddy.  Now I play mostly as a single 

Really got into golf from my high school buddies. Bought clubs   But was always the worse scorer in the group.  
Then stopped playing on the courses 

Still kept my clubs and go to the driving range solo 

Began Going to play as a single with strangers   Found out it was just as enjoyable as with buddies   Even more so cause we wouldn’t comparing scores or betting each other for money 

I actually starting to enjoy it more when I didn’t keep score.  More aware of being outside.   Meeting people.  Walking in nature.  Visiting new courses   Playing very much recreationally 

After a hiatus I joined a country club for the first time and entered men’s league.  
Scoring and playing competitive keep my interest up in golf   Just keep score when I playing with others.  When I’m on the course in my own I don’t.  
My son turn 14 have a bit interest in golf. So now it’s new experience for me  as I haven’t taken to the golf course yet until he learned to swing the club on the range

[Velcade]

I love hitting the range solo.  It's usually my 'go to' to relax after a long day at work. 

 

I never got use to playing solo, I guess because the courses around here don't let you go solo you have to pair up with 2 or 3 people.  I don't really want to be out there, alone, with strangers. 

[hoselrocket256]

On 9/28/2017 at 6:00 PM, Canoe Paddler said:

As an introvert who spends most of my day working a job that requires me to be extroverted, golf has become my escape to have some solitude. Very few of my friends play, and I don't have much free time, so another benefit of playing alone is going at a time when it's convenient for me.

This is so true for me!

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Playing alone around here is difficult in the summer without driving pretty far. Off season golf is better for playing alone.

 

I prefer to play with at least one person I know,  but I know no one who plays regularly. I don't like sharing cart space with people I don't know... lol

 

I'm okay with random pairings,  but I think I may annoy people with my desire for conversation during the waits. Lol 😆

 

I figure conversation helps smooth the dull points whilst everybody else ruins their round crabbing about the extra hour.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[tatertot]

On 6/30/2023 at 10:39 AM, Velcade said:

I love hitting the range solo.  It's usually my 'go to' to relax after a long day at work. 

 

I never got use to playing solo, I guess because the courses around here don't let you go solo you have to pair up with 2 or 3 people.  I don't really want to be out there, alone, with strangers. 

They're not strangers after spending 4 hours together ... never got the aversion to meeting new people on the course. And I'm a huge introvert.

[Darom87]

Love playing alone.  Allows me to play my game and usually meet nice people without having the obligation to engage or entertain.  Helps with focus personally.   

[Sir-Shanks-A-Lot]

I mentioned in another thread on a similar topic that I've always been just as happy playing with friends, being paired with randoms, or playing by myself. Each has it's own pros and cons.

[Amde23]

On 4/17/2023 at 5:41 PM, MattM97 said:

I like playing with my friends but sometimes I want to pull my hair out when trying to get a round going with all of them or some of them so I'm going to play more on my own. It's a bit of a struggle at times playing solo where I live but with traveling more for work and less busy courses I'll play more solo giving me something to do when traveling in my down time. 

Agreed. Playing with buddies is great but I find I lack the concentration on my course strategy and routine and end up rushing many things. I think it's also the group of buddies who are there to socialize and drink the entire time.

[jrice19]

I play mostly alone due to my schedule or my friends schedule. I enjoy it because I can have my time and work on my game. 

[RoyalMustang]

On 4/21/2023 at 2:36 PM, eric61 said:

I pretty much always play as a single -- either out alone or with whoever I get paired with -- because none of my friends play golf. 

 

The only frustration I frequently bump into is people in carts who get paired with me, and get annoyed on the first tee, before anybody has hit a shot, that I walk/carry and don't want to hop into the open spot in one of their carts.

 

I have an annual membership at a public course. And listen, I'm not great by any means, but I do hit it past 90-95% of people I've been paired with. It takes me longer to get to my second shot than it takes somebody in a cart, but I'm usually hitting after them anyway. And I'll certainly be faster from my approach shot to the green, and on/around the green, than they are. 

 

It is a bit of a hike in some spots from the green to the next tee box at my course, and occasionally I'll get paired with somebody who insists on getting to the next tee box as quickly as possible, hitting first, and then sitting in his cart and stepping on the gas the second my driver makes contact with the ball. It's the same type of person that gets annoyed as soon as he gets to his ball because the group ahead hasn't cleared out yet -- even though they're behind yet another group and there's nowhere to go. 

 

Yeah, the only time I have EVER held up anyone in a cart is when I was playing with a good single, on a course that is a 8+ mile walk (long distance between tees). And even then, I hustled to get in at 3 hours. Other than that, a good single is always faster than 2 people in a cart and way faster than 2 guys in a cart who don't know what they are doing. 

 

Next time someone asks you that, just ask back "actually, why don't you ditch the cart and walk with me"? 

[RoyalMustang]

On 3/25/2023 at 9:55 PM, Naptime said:

I suspect it happens not infrequently especially with guys who aren't competing in tournaments anyway.

 

At my old course we had a floating "tournament" cap. You started with your stated cap and it moved only on how you played in tournaments. It caught the sandbaggers and also more quickly reflected the scores of people who were struggling, whereas some good scores can last forever on GHIN.  

 

I never really understood the GHIN requirement that you can't submit a solo round. So you play with someone else and upload your score: it isn't like anyone is checking to see if your score is accurate. I have played with 2 guys in the past 3 months who keep a cap.  I couldn't care less about a guy I play with uploading his score: I am not even keeping track of what he is shooting. Nobody checks my score unless it comes from a tournament.  

 

The fact that ANYONE can post ANYTHING without concern of being called out, outside of a tight knit CC where everyone plays together all the time and knows the scores of others, is no different than posting a solo score.